Dec. 18 set for special election to fill David Williams' Senate seat

Gov. Steve Beshear has set the earliest possible date to fill David Williams’ former seat in the 16th State Senate district.

The district covers Clinton, Cumberland, McCreary, Monroe, Wayne and Whitley counties — in the heart of Republican territory. And the winner of the special election will replace Williams, who has been sworn in as a circuit court judge/

The special election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, a little under a month before the 2013 session of the General Assembly begins. The date was also chosen because voting machines must remain locked for 30 days after the Nov. 6 general election, making Dec. 18 is one of the first available dates.

“Holding the special election in December means the citizens of these six southern counties will have representation in the next session of the General Assembly,” Gov. Beshear said in a press release. “This session will review multiple issues important to our state, and it is critical that all Kentuckians have a voice in the Senate.”

Already a few Republicans are expressing interest in taking Williams’ spot in the Senate.

And as Ronnie Ellis first reported those include Sarah Beth Gregory, the state representative for the 52nd State House district covering McCreary, Wayne and part of Pulaski counties and Clinton County attorney David Cross.

The winner will take office immediately upon certification of the election results and the administration of the oath of office.

Jacqueline Pitts

Jacqueline Pitts is the producer of Pure Politics, the only nightly program dedicated to Kentucky politics. In addition to booking guests and pulling all of the information from the field together into a half-hour show, Jacqueline is also a regular contributor to “The Grind.” That’s a weekly segment with the cn|2 political staff to take a closer look at some of the most important, most interesting and often least talked about happenings in Kentucky politics. Jacqueline is from Nashville, but she’s a proud Western Kentucky University graduate. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @Jacqueline_cn2. She can be reached at 502-792-1114 or jacqueline.pitts@twcnews.com.